India Archive

In a clear and firm judgment that prioritised public interest and legal procedure, the Gujarat High Court recently refused to provide protection to a dargah situated along the Rajkot-Ahmedabad highway. The Court concluded that the structure was an illegal encroachment on land owned by the government. The court observed that the dargah was built on a government-owned and such unauthorized construction on the highway cannot be allowed because of security. Despite the trust managing the dargah arguing that the property belonged to the Waqf Board, they could not present any legally acceptable proof of ownership. As a result, following the High Court order, the local administration demolished the dargah on Friday (April 4).

Imagine a man stepping out into the open air, his coat resting on his shoulders, walking with the steady ease of someone who’s faced the worst and come through it. That’s Justice C.S. Karnan, leaving Kolkata’s Presidency Jail on Wednesday, December 20, 2017, after serving a six-month sentence for contempt of court. This wasn’t just another day—it was the end of a long, hard fight for a judge who took on the Supreme Court of India and felt the full weight of its response.

Naik Mukesh Singh Manhas came from the small, tight-knit village of Kamila in the Utterbehni area of Samba district, Jammu & Kashmir—a place where the air carries a sense of resilience and pride. This region, nestled close to the borders, has long been home to people who understand the meaning of courage and patriotism. Born into a simple family that held honor and duty in high regard, he was the son of Shri Chagatar Singh, a retired Sub-Inspector of Police who had spent years serving the community.

On the auspicious day of April 1, what was supposed to be a peaceful and joyful celebration of the Sarhul festival turned into a horrifying ordeal for the Sarna tribals of Pithauria, a locality near Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand. The Sarhul festival, which marks the onset of spring and is deeply sacred to tribal communities, was brutally disrupted when Islamist fundamentalists attacked the tribal devotees with sticks, axes, and guns.

K. Annamalai, the current Tamil Nadu BJP president, has put an end to all the rumors swirling around about whether he’ll stay in the top spot. While talking to journalists at Coimbatore airport, he made it crystal clear that he’s stepping away from the competition for the state leadership role. Alongside this big announcement, he also took some time to share his thoughts on the recently passed Waqf Amendment Bill and the heated debates over Waqf Board land issues that have been making headlines.

On Thursday, April 3, 2025, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal delivered a bold and unfiltered critique of India’s startup ecosystem during his address at the Startup Mahakumbh 2025 held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The event, now in its second edition, drew thousands of entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators, but Goyal’s words left the audience reflecting deeply on the direction of Indian entrepreneurship. He didn’t hold back, pointing out what he sees as a troubling lack of ambition and innovation among Indian startups, especially when compared to their Chinese counterparts.

A massive fraud has rocked the Pali district of Rajasthan, exposing a shameful scam that siphoned off a staggering ₹7 crore from the “Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi” scheme. This money, meant to support genuine farmers, was instead funneled into fake bank accounts created under Muslim names in villages where not a single Muslim lives.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has been hard at work in Bihar, and on March 27, 2025, they turned up the heat once again. In Patna, the state’s bustling capital, the agency carried out search operations at “six-seven locations” tied to a case involving IAS officer Sanjeev Hans. This wasn’t a casual visit—officials say the raids zeroed in on government officers and engineers suspected of taking bribes. As the ED teams moved through these spots, they didn’t leave empty-handed. “During the searches, the ED reportedly found and seized incriminating evidence,” hinting at some serious wrongdoing that’s now in their possession. It’s the kind of discovery that makes you wonder just how deep this case might go.

On March 24, 2025, a surprising piece of news rippled through Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), a region long caught in the tangle of conflict, separatism, and hope for peace. Advocate Mohammad Shafi Reshi, a man who once walked alongside one of Kashmir’s most iconic separatist leaders, Syed Ali Geelani, announced he was done with that world. He didn’t just step away quietly—he publicly cut all ties with the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and the Jammu & Kashmir Democratic Political Movement (DPM), groups he’d been linked to for years. Even more striking, he swore his loyalty to India, calling himself a “bona fide citizen” committed to the Indian Constitution. This wasn’t just a personal choice; it sent shockwaves through J&K’s political scene, hinting at a possible shift in a region that’s seen decades of unrest.